This Week in Weird, Aug. 27

Drunken man drives off in police cruiser, an alligator and a bobcat make the news, and more in this week’s edition.

Drunken man drives off in police cruiser

SOMERVILLE, Mass. - Police offered a drunken Somerville man a ride home, only to have him drive off with the cruiser on Aug. 17, according to a police report.

Officers Derrick Dottin and Henry Diaz responded that day about 5:12 p.m. to a report of a drunken individual. The man, Marc D. McKenna, 24, was found standing in the street with a shirt tied around his head and trying to maintain balance. Police said he had glassy eyes and his speech was slurred, and they offered him a ride, as they knew where he lived.

Once they arrived, McKenna reportedly jumped out of the car and headed to the house and fumbled for his keys. He began pounding and banging on the door. Dottin tried to help him get in and searched his pockets and bags but could not find a key. So he called the homeowner to ask if there was any other way of getting him into the house. Meanwhile, McKenna sat down inside a recycling bin in the front foyer area, according to the report.

Dottin went around the house to look for open doors or windows and heard the sound of a car start up. He headed back out and saw that McKenna had taken off with his police car. He chased him on foot but lost the car.

The car was found parked and unoccupied nearby. It was locked and there was a dent in the left rear panel. McKenna had hit a utility pole in the area, according to the report. Police found McKenna at his house, pounding on the front door and “screaming and hollering.”

McKenna was then arrested on charges of larceny of a motor vehicle, drunken driving and leaving the scene of property damage.

The alligator appeared headed for a city street-drain, perhaps for a new life as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Gator.

And now, Hurst’s fellow firefighters have dubbed him “Gator.”

Hurst, 47, a city firefighter for 15 years, picked up the alligator by its collar and tail.

No one was around as it was early on a Sunday morning.

He used a bungee cord to tie the reptile in the back of his pickup truck, then drove to a fire station and summoned animal control.

Supervisor Tom DeChellis said the alligator was resting Monday inside an animal carrier while officers worked to place it with a wildlife specialist.

The alligator is believed to be an escaped or abandoned pet, but DeChellis said he did not expect it to be claimed. People who want to own alligators in Massachusetts must obtain a permit after a rigorous screening in which they must prove they are using them in education and research.

Bobcat bites teenager

IONIA, Mich. - While looking out at his backyard in Ionia, David Butler saw what he thought was a house cat.

“I saw this cat and thought, ‘That’s a different kind of cat,” said David Butler, adding that when his daughter Emma saw the creature, she said, “This is not a cat.”

It was a bobcat.

When it starting growling at the Butlers' pet cat Lefty, Emma tried to shoo it away and got bit on the hand.

Emma received one bite and a few scratches. So far, she has received 11 shots and will have to continue treatment for the next 28 days.

“I’m glad she was not hurt worse,” said Emma's mother, Rhonda. “If it can do that to a 14-year-old girl, what can it do to a toddler? That is what scares me.”

The Ionia Department of Public Safety came to the house on Monday to set up a trap and look for the bobcat.

“It’s very unusual to see bobcats in a residential area,” said IDPS director Dave Bulling. “It has been confirmed that it is a young bobcat.”

Practical joker's 'shark' creates a scene in Massachusetts

SOMERSET, Mass. - A practical joker apparently took advantage of recent shark sightings in the area.

About 50 people were drawn to an area behind Wilbur Liquors on Wednesday night for what was believed to be a shark in Fox Hill Cove, which runs under Wilbur Avenue between Somerset and Swansea.

Somerset police dispatcher William Aubin said a man called 911 about 7 p.m. to report the sighting. Somerset and Swansea dispatchers received several calls.

Word spread fast of the purported shark sighting, and before long, a large gathering believed they were watching a real shark.

But upon closer inspection, it was realized the fin moving above the water was all part of a prank.

“It was Styrofoam shaped into a fin and wrapped with gray duct tape with weights holding it in place,” Aubin said.

Several regional beaches had been closed at various times in recent weeks for actual shark sightings.

Although meant to be a practical joke, Aubin cautioned that the incident could have caused a “serious problem” had there been a real water-related emergency call around the same time.

Man says he'd be better at sobriety tests if he were ‘completely sober’

ELGIN, Ill. - Robert Michael Danner, 53, of Elgin, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 or more and improper lane use at 12:07 a.m. Aug. 22, police said.

He told officers he had a few drinks at a wedding reception earlier and that he would have done better on field sobriety tests if he were “completely sober.”

Danner had a 0.149 blood-alcohol content, reports state.

GateHouse News Service

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.